The fabrication of semiconductor devices involves forming electronic components in and on semiconductor substrates, such as silicon wafers. These electronic components may include one or more conductive layers, one or more insulation layers, and doped regions formed by implanting various dopants into portions of a semiconductor substrate to achieve specific electrical properties. Semiconductor devices include field-effect transistors (FETs), resistors, capacitors, and the like, with intermediate and overlying metallization patterns at varying levels, separated by dielectric materials, which interconnect the semiconductor devices to form integrated circuits.
In some cases, manufacturers of integrated circuits may wish to protect critical circuit elements from being tampered with or reverse-engineered. For example, manufacturers might employ one or more anti-tamper mechanisms to erase or destroy semiconductor devices and/or information stored thereon in the event of tampering.